| Katelyn R. "It is my job to ensure my team books appropriate journal entries that will enable the accurate reporting of financial data on my company's financial statements. Specifically, I work with intercompany payables and receivables, equity, debt, and cash; basically everything that is held at a corporate level." |
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Education
Required License(s)
Having the CPA (Certified Public Accountant) designation is very important for the advancement of an accounting career. |
Required Degree(s)
It helps to get a Master's, but only so you get the required credits (150 hours) to sit for the CPA exam. |
Importance of GPA
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What do you need to do to maintain your license(s)?
They call it the CPA because it stands for Couldn't Pass Again. Kidding, kind of. Once you pass the exam, you have to maintain certain levels of CPE (Continuing Professional Education). Most CPE is provided by or sponsored by your firm/company.
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Katelyn's Highest Degree: Bachelor's degree (Bachelor of Science) and Master's degree
Katelyn's College Major: Both in Accounting
Katelyn's College GPA: 3.6-3.9
Salary
Starting out, salaries tend to range from $40,000 - $60,000, depending on your city and the career path you choose. Big firms generally pay less, but have higher earnings potential in the long run.
Getting the Job
How did you get your job?
I had two short summer internships at very small CPA firms and worked through college in the accounting department serving as a tutor and researcher. I was offered a job with a Big 4 accounting firm my junior year of college (not that unusual) and worked there for just over 2 years before my current opportunity was presented to me.
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How important was networking to landing your position?
Networking honestly wasn't as important as everyone told me it would be in college. My friend got me in contact with the firm recruiter and I took it from there. Once I had started my job, professional recruiters reached out often with job opportunities on LinkedIn. Having an accurate and active LinkedIn profile has helped me more than anything.
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Life on the Job
What is a typical day (or week) for you like?
We operate in cycles in corporate accounting. The first week of the month, we put in around 55 hours to close the general ledger so that the consolidations team can put together financial statements in a timely fashion. The rest of the month is the predictable 8:30 - 5:00 working on special projects and creating process improvements.
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How closely does your typical day (or week) match up to the general "job description" for your position?
I think my job description is very accurate for the typical industry accounting job.
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Does being a woman affect any aspect of your career?
No. The only thing it affects is that I have to think about what to wear in the morning instead of doing the typical pants and button-up like a man. (I'm jealous of their lack of options of business casual wear.)
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What is the best thing about your job?
The people I work with are wonderful and caring. A work-life balance is promoted at my company and that's what I was looking for after leaving Big 4.
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What is the worst thing about your job?
It's very predictable. We tend to fall into patterns. It seems that once you get bored, there's always a new opportunity at the company to keep you on your toes.
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How demanding is your job?
Big 4 accounting wore me out. The hours were long, the people weren't always nice, and there was always a deadline looming. Corporate accounting is much different—you can decide how tough you want to make it sometimes. I volunteer to take challenging projects that drain me mentally sometimes, however aside from the first week of the month, I work substantially less than I did before.
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Do you have any advancement opportunities?
Yes, my company offers many growth opportunities. Typically, one doesn't stay in his or her position for longer than a year. My next move will be to transfer to a different department as a senior accountant to expand my company knowledge, and then working my way up (and across) the ladder from Manager, Senior Manager, Director, VP, etc.
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Advice for You
What are the skills, characteristics, or talents that are most important to be effective in your position?
You have to be organized. I would say that's the number one thing for me. The other things I feel have helped me progress are being driven, detail oriented, a problem solving mindset, and most importantly a positive attitude.
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What advice would you give to someone thinking about pursuing a career like yours?
Start in Big 4 or something like it. It will be grueling at times, but the experience you'll gain is invaluable. Having a big name public accounting firm on your resume will get you to where you want to be with fewer road blocks.
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If you could do it over again, would you still pursue the same career?
Yes. Although a Disney Princess is still always in the back of my mind...
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Follow Up
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